Incantato Tours proudly presents the Providence College Choir  in concert at Chiesa di San Francesco in Maiori at 8:00 PM on Friday, May 20, 2011.

The beautiful Chiesa di San Francesco was constructed in 1405. It is located between the convent and the Cove of the Announced one (Grotta dell'Annunziata) in Maiori. The church has a rough history: In 1435 it was destroyed by the army of Muhammad II (Turkey) and rebuilt one year later by Saint Bernardino from Siena. A sea storm hit the Chiesa di San Francesco hard in 1440. It was destroyed and in 1517 reconstructed on the oriental side of the convent. But the work was interrupted again by a Turkish invasion. In 1590 the construction was finally completed. Last but not least there were several constructive modifications after two seas storm in 1631 and 1674. The church is famed world-wide for the miracle of the springing water in the convent. Please click here to go the picture's origin.

Concerto "Providence College Choir and Symphonic Winds" a Napoli Maggio 18 alle 19:30

Incantato Tours and Concerts in collaborazione con Associazione "Via Nova" presenta Providence College Choir and Synphonic Wind - Coro e Orchestradi Fiati da Rhode Island USA con la Partecipazione di:"Coro delle Mamme di Sisina" (Progetto Oasi Onlus) Un progetto di Gianni Lamagna
Mercoledi 18 Maggio 2011, ore 19,30
Chiesa di S.Agostino degli Scalzi via S.Agostino degli Scalzi,6
"La passione e la fede: sacra e musica profana per toccare il cuore e nutrire l'anima", presentato dal Providence College Choir and Symphonic Winds, of Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Il Coro è sotto la direzione del Dr. T.J. Harper e Accompagnato dal M° Sherry Humes Dane. La Symphonic Winds Orchestra è guidata dal Dr Bill Jennifer.

L’ensemble corale del Providence College Choir include il Providence College Chapel Choir e tutti e tre gli ensembles del Dipartimento di Musica Corale tra cui I Cantori, il coro più prestigioso del college. Il Providence College Choir si è esibito per il pubblico di tutto il New England e nel mondo. Performances recenti includono Russia, Austria, Ungheria, Repubblica Ceca e Francia. Il coro ha condiviso le sue doti musicali in molte occasioni, con numerosi artisti celebri, rendendoli ambasciatori culturali per Providence College, la città di Providence, nello Stato di Rhode Island e gli Stati Uniti. Ogni primavera, il coro conclude la sua stagione con la sua annuale Spring Choral Masterworks Concert. La Providence College Choir rappresenta con orgoglio una istituzione artistica cattolico liberale che diretto sotto l'egida dei frati domenicani accolgie circa cinque mila iscritti. Dalla sua istituzione nel 1917, il Collegio ha assunto una posizione di rilievo nazionale tra le istituzioni educative.
La Providence College Symphonic Wind esegue concerti musica importante per fiati e percussioni comprese le opere dei grandi compositori inglesi e americani del periodo moderno, nonché trascrizioni orchestrali di brani del passato. Sotto la direzione del Dr. Jennifer Bill, il Providence College Symphonic Wind ha avuto una enorme crescita artistica e continua a fornire il College, la città di Providence, Rhode Island e tutto il New England con spettacoli musicali di altissima qualità.

Providence College 2011 Italy Tour Performance Overview

University of Miami Frost Chorale second concert on Wednesday, May 18 at 8:30 PM: Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas in Valencia

In celebration of International Museum Day, the University of Miami Frost Chorale from Miami will be performing at Valencia’s Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 8:30 PM.

One of the most central structures in the city of Valencia is the Palacio del Marques de dos Aguas, a former palace and now the home of Spain’s National Museum of Ceramics and Arts. The fifteenth century home was officially declared a historic-artistic monument in 1941.

Historians consider the palace a “paragon of nobility and wealth,” stemming from the fifteenth century during which the Perellos Rabassa family acquired the Barony of Dos Aguas and were ultimately elevated to the status of Marquis by King Charles II.

The grounds originally consisted of three Gothic buildings arranged around the perimeter of a courtyard, as well as a single tower at the northwest corner. The current palace is the product of a radical reform which occurred in the year 1740 and now boasts an irregular quadrangular layout organized around the courtyard and corner towers. The front door was carved in alabaster by Valencia’s Ignacio Vergara, the founder of the Santa Barbara School of Fine Arts.

The palace’s name “Dos Aguas” refers to the two largest rivers in the region of Valencia, the Turia and Jucar, which are represented on the building’s façade by two nude human figures and two falling streams of water.
The ownership of the palace changed hands multiple times throughout the centuries, until the Spanish government officially purchased the site in 1949 for the installation of a ceramic collection assembled by Professor Don Manuel Gonzalez Marti, his wife Amelia Cunat, and Monleon, ultimately becoming the National Ceramics Museum.
The then-Minister of Education, Don Joaquin Ruiz Jimenez, presided over the official inauguration of the Museum on June 18, 1954.
The National Museum of Ceramics and Arts receives world-renowned praise, not only for their vast exhibition of artistic works, but also for the intriguing history and beauty of the palace itself.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Full House for UM Frost Chorale in Barcelona

Frost Chorale gives benefit concert in Barcelona

When the Frost Chorale performs in Barcelona on Tuesday, May 17, the concert will be for a good cause: the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation. José Carreras is a Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, he made his debut on the opera stage at the age of 11 as Trujamán in Manuel de Falla's El retablo de Maese Pedro  and went on to a career that encompassed over 60 roles on the stages of  the world's leading opera houses and in the recording studio. He gained fame with a wider audience as one of The Three Tenors along with Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti in a series of mass concerts that began in 1990 and continued until 2003. Carreras is also known for his humanitarian work as the president of the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation (La Fundació Internacional Josep Carreras per a la Lluita contra la Leucèmia), which he established following his own recovery from the disease in 1988. Supporting scientific research has been one of the biggest priorities  of the José Carreras Foundation. Since 1988, the various José Carreras  Foundations around the world have invested more than €100 million in  research and have financed over 400 research projects.
Leukemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of white blood cells. In 2000, approximately 256,000 children and adults around the world developed some form of leukemia, and 209,000 died from it. About 90% of all leukemias are diagnosed in adults.

Incantato proudly presents the University of Miami Frost Chorale in Barcelona at Santa Maria del Mar on Tuesday, May 17 at 8 pm

The University of Miami Frost Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Joshua Habermann, will perform at Barcelona's Santa Maria del Mar on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 8 PM.
The first communities in what is now Barcelona were founded within the confines of the seaport, overlooking the "Mare Nostrom" and its old church in which Barcelona’s co-patron Saint Eulalia’s relics were buried in A.D. 303 following her martyrdom. This church, combined with a succession of churches on site, was referred to as "Santa   Maria de las Arenas". During the Middle Ages, the first homes outside the walls emerged as the sailing quarter and ultimately led to the creation of the “La Ribera” district, of which Santa Maria de las Arenas became the community’s parish. The devout members of the parish pledged to construct a beautiful church on the existing site. On March 25, 1329, the first stone was laid on the site of the present Santa Maria del Mar, also known as the “Cathedral of the Sea,” located on Santa Maria Street in Barcelona. The temple was consecrated by the Bishop of Barcelona, Pere de Planella, on August 15, 1384. It took fifty-four years of continuous construction to complete the structure. The basilica’s Catalan Gothic style, a style characteristic of purity and unity, is very unique for a medieval building of its massive size. The construction of Santa Maria del Mar even served as the background inspiration for the best-selling novel La cathedral del mar, published by Spanish author Ildefonso Falcones in 2006. Tourist reviews of the site not only compliment the beauty of the structure itself, but also rave about the acoustics of the interior. Many visit the church merely to attend musical performances.

University of Miami Frost Chorale Performance Overview

University of Miami Frost Chorale Spain Tour receives media coverage

The University of Miami Frost Chorale is about to embark on its 2011 Incantato Spain Performance Tour starting in Barcelona and ending in Madrid. "Cantemos" is the musical theme for the tour under the direction of Dr. Joshua Habermann. Marketing is just one of many key elements for good audiences, and the UM  performances are already being announced through internet as well as by other mass media. Here you have some quick links access: Barcelona:
Fundació Josep Carreras:

For Valencia:

Toledo:

Incantato proudly presents the St. Bonaventure's College Wind Ensemble & Chamber Choir at 18:45 at Convento San Silvestro on April 16 at 6:45 PM

The St. Bonaventure’s College Wind Ensemble and Chamber Choir, of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, will present a recital at Convento San Silvestro in Montecompatri on Saturday, April 16, 2011.
San Silvestro is a 16th century convent known for its picture gallery, featuring important sacred paintings from the 18th century made for worship and devotion for the Barefoot Carmelites, who were given the monastery in 1604 by Pope Clemente VIII. It was appreciated then for its forested solitude away from the city, which was perfect for quiet contemplation. Many years later, in 1874, the convent was sold to a nearby town for use as a home for old people. It was redeemed at public auction in 1905 and returned to religious service in 1920. It’s in Monte Compatri, a municipality about 20 kilometers southeast of Rome with beautiful views and lush land.

SBC in the news

A special Incantato Luncheon for our first Canadian Group: The Wind Ensemble and Chamber Choir from St. Bonaventure's College, Newfoundland

Highlight Concert for St. Bonaventure's College Chamber Choir in Maiori at 8 pm

Incantato Tours proudly presents the Saint Bonaventure's College Chamber Choir in concert at Chiesa di San Francesco in Maiori at 8:00PM on Thursday, April 14, 2011.

The beautiful Chiesa di San Francesco was constructed in 1405. It is located between the convent and the Cove of the Announced one (Grotta dell'Annunziata) in Maiori. The church has a rough history: In 1435 it was destroyed by the army of Muhammad II (Turkey) and rebuilt one year later by Saint Bernardino from Siena. A sea storm hit the Chiesa di San Francesco hard in 1440. It was destroyed and in 1517 reconstructed on the oriental side of the convent. But the work was interrupted again by a Turkish invasion. In 1590 the construction was finally completed. Last but not least there were several constructive modifications after two seas storm in 1631 and 1674. The church is famed world-wide for the miracle of the springing water in the convent. Please click here to go the picture's origin.

St. Bonaventure at the Papal Audience in the Vatican

SBC Chamber Choir sings at the Vatican

The St. Bonaventure’s College Chamber Choir sang Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 5:00 PM.

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".

In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626.

St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564), an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. Michelangelo took over a building site at which four piers, enormous beyond any constructed since the days of Ancient Rome, were rising behind the remaining nave of the old basilica. He also inherited the numerous schemes designed and redesigned by some of the greatest architectural and engineering brains of the 16th century.

Incidentally there are over 100 tombs within St. Peter's Basilica, many located in the Vatican grotto, beneath the Basilica. These include 91 popes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, and the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Exiled Catholic British royalty James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons, Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart, are buried here, having been granted asylum by Pope Clement XI. The most recent interment was Pope John Paul II, on April 8, 2005.

Special visit to the Naples Conservatory for SMCC

Concert Impressions from YPAS in Schweiklberg, Germany

Slideshow from the SMCC Concert in Naples

First recording from the joint concert of the JSerra Catholic and San Marino HS Chamber Choirs: "Battle of Jericho"

"This place makes me cry": Impressions of Teatro di Rieti

One of our favorite moments during an Incantato choir tour of Italy is the moment a choir first sees the gorgeous Teatro di Rieti. This time, we caught the San Marino choir on film. Check out the videos below to see for yourselves, as well as some of the reactions we overheard from awed students.

"Wow."
"No way."

"It's like we're famous."

pon entering the theater, students gasped, snapped pictures, and stared at the ceiling, mouths open. "It's mesmerizing."
Normally as noisy as you'd expect 70 high school students to be, the beauty of the theater caused the choir students to fall silent. In fact, when Incantato Tours owner Sandra Weihnacht told them they could talk, they stayed silent. "This is gorgeous," said one student. "This place makes me cry."

San Marino Chamber's third formal concert in Italy at the magnificent Teatro di Rieti on April 8 at 9 pm

The San Marino Chamber Choir will perform at Teatro di Rieti on Friday, April 8 at 9:00 PM. The current structure of the theatre dates back to December of 1883 but was not officially inaugurated until September 20, 1893, featuring productions of Goethe’s Faust and Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. The theater, named for the Roman Emperor Vespasian, required ten years of construction under the direction of Milanese architect  Achille Sfondrini. The theater underwent complete restoration from 2005 through 2009. A grand re-opening celebration commenced on January 10, 2009 featuring conductor Marcello Rota, and soloists Karina Grigoryan, Jessica Pratt, Anna Gorayacheva, and Roman Burdenko. The Secretary to the Prime Minister as well as Senator Franco Marini were in attendance. The restoration efforts totaled more than 3.3 million Euro. The reopening of the theater also fostered the formation of the Flavius Vespasian Foundation, aiming to promote international artistry and music. The Rieti Theatre also annually hosts the Rieti Dance Festival, the International Competition for the New Opera Voices of Mattia Battistini, and the National Competition for Young Actors. The theatre is well known for its excellent acoustics, a characteristic that earned the structure the very first National Award for the Acoustics. In referring to the acoustics, Professor Bruno Cagli, president of the National Academy of Saint Cecilia, once called the theatre “the world’s best in that respect”. For more information, please click here.

Here is a recording from the most recent concert in Naples:

San Marino Chamber Choir Concert in the press

Incantato Tours, al Vespasiano si chiude con il San Marino Chamber Choir   Chamber Choir della San Marino High School       dalla Redazione mercoledì 6 aprile 2011 Venerdì 8 aprile alle ore 21 al Teatro Flavio Vespasiano termina il ciclo di spettacoli che hanno visto la città di Rieti inserita per la prima volta nel programma del tour operator americano Incantato Tours. La chiusura è prestigiosa, infatti ad esibirsi sarà il Chamber Choir della San Marino High School.  Il concerto dal titolo “Musica Divina : tra antico e nuovo mondo” comprende brani di Bach, Monteverdi e Purcell, insieme a compositori più moderni del continente americano. Il coro, proveniente dalla cittadina di San Marino nella contea di Los Angeles, è composto in gran parte da studenti di origine asiatica, infatti San Marino ha una popolazione composta al 40% da cittadini provenienti dall’Asia, ed è uno dei più conosciuti e prestigiosi degli Stati Uniti d’America.  Proseguono anche i gemellaggi previsti dal programma, ed infatti dopo il Liceo Classico Varrone gemellato con La Cañada High School ed il Liceo Pedagogico “Elena Principessa di Napoli” gemellato con il liceo di San Juan de Capistrano, questa volta è il turno del Liceo Scientifico Jucci che ospiterà nella mattinata di venerdi gli studenti californiani della San Marino High School. Sandra Weinacht, titolare di Incantato Tours ha confermato che l’esperimento iniziato quest’anno prevede per il 2012 il passaggio a Rieti di numerosi gruppi di studenti americani, che soggiorneranno nella nostra città anche in occasione di eventi culturali.  L’organizzazione sarà della Wealbiz di Diego Di Paolo. L’Assessore alla Cultura Gianfranco Formichetti ha auspicato il consolidamento dell’iniziativa nella speranza che il soggiorno a Rieti dei gruppi l’anno venturo permetta agli studenti di visitare le eccellenze culturali e turistiche della città. Venerdì sera alle ore 21 l’ingresso al Teatro sarà gratuito come nelle precedenti occasioni. http://www.ilgiornaledirieti.it/leggi_articolo_f2.asp?id_news=23739

JSerra Catholic HS Chamber Choir the featuered guest choir for Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on April 8 at 5 pm

Under the direction of Mr. Andrew M. Alvarez, the JSerra Catholic High School Chamber Singers will sing High Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Friday, April 8, 2011 at 5:00 PM.

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".

In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626.

St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564), an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. Michelangelo took over a building site at which four piers, enormous beyond any constructed since the days of Ancient Rome, were rising behind the remaining nave of the old basilica. He also inherited the numerous schemes designed and redesigned by some of the greatest architectural and engineering brains of the 16th century.

Incidentally there are over 100 tombs within St. Peter's Basilica, many located in the Vatican grotto, beneath the Basilica. These include 91 popes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, and the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Exiled Catholic British royalty James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons, Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart, are buried here, having been granted asylum by Pope Clement XI. The most recent interment was Pope John Paul II, on April 8, 2005.